To mark 12 years since they first met at UJ, The Muffinz will be hosting a series of events at the university's arts centre on Wednesday and Friday.
It will be a monumental moment for the band The Muffins as they return to the University of Johannesburg (UJ) for a performance and documentary screening.
The Muffins band members are alumni of the school who met at university as members of the UJ choir.
The band was formed in 2010 when Sfiso 'Atomza' Buthelezi, Mthabisi Sibanda and Simz Kulla met whilst singing together in a choir.
Drummer Gregory Mabusela and fellow former UJ student Jeffrey Chitima joined the group on bass shortly after.
Also read: Muffins still doing what he loves
UJ alumni
“UJ was the beginning of our organization and our band. We had our first audience, our first paid performance at a university,” Atomza said. The Citizen.
To celebrate 12 years in the music industry, the band will host a series of special events at the UJ Arts Centre on Wednesday 27 September.
“The show is also a tribute to the University and its work in supporting the arts, even when music classes are not part of the curriculum. The University, its people and support are a big part of who we are.”
On Wednesday night Live lifean Atomza-produced documentary reflecting Johannesburg's live music scene, will be followed by a special “one night only” performance on Friday 27 September.
Atomza has applied for funding to further its Dockie project, which aims to shine a spotlight on Johannesburg's live music scene.
“I had a university reunion where I performed and reunited with the new administration, and it was clear that we had to do something together. We decided to do a screening and live performance,” the singer and guitarist declared.
Related article: Ahead of Soweto show, The Soil are 'amazed' by fan reaction to 'Reimagined'
Lasting Relationships
UJ Dean of Arts and Culture Peter Jacobs said the university was extremely proud to celebrate and welcome back The Muffins.
The band shares an appreciation for this close bond between the university and the Muffins.
“There is value in cooperation, but sometimes we ignore it. But the only way to achieve great things is to cooperate and work together for the benefit of all,” said Atomza, who is considered the band's frontman.
“Having established institutions that support the arts and live music is a step towards these industries being self-sustaining and eventually not needing support. We're grateful for these relationships, but it's mostly because they were developed in our younger years and because we've worked hard enough to reinvigorate them.”
The Muffins haven't released an album in about a decade.
The group's last work was in 2015. Do what you love They have released several singles Okabani Featuring Moonchild Sanelly in 2016, Where are you? 2018.
“We're constantly working on music, both individually and as a group. Guitarist Simz Kulla's second album has just been completed and should be released soon,” Atomza said.
“We each have new projects that you may not have heard of yet, so be sure to check them out. Once the music is done…the world will know.”
Related article: Brother Moves On launches fundraising campaign for “Zulu of New York” tour
Exploring the Amapiano sound
Atomza recently released a solo project exploring the sounds of the amapiano, a nine-track album titled Gozonko: Eavesdropping. Magida Svekene.
“I've had some of the songs for a long time, some from 2016… when the amapiano buzz was happening underground. It was there and it was hard to ignore, but I was so into songwriting at the time that I never pursued dance songs,” he said.
Atumza has used the teachings of Credo Mutwa to try to gain a deeper understanding of why the genre is so universally hard to resist.
Atomza was inspired in part by Credo Mutwa's writings linking the log drum with the African instrument marimba as a gift from Marimba, an immortal god and servant of the gods.
“It was liberating for me that Credo Mutwa had written about the original log drum and that it had been created as a solution by the Immortals. The manipulation of the digital log drum was one of the foundations of the Amapiano… I wanted to explore what that interpretation means in the 21st century,” Atomza said.
Atomza has been awarded a grant to produce a new musical work (a live recorded performance, an album or an EP) that will be archived by the South African Music Copyright Organisation (Samro).
“As a member of Samulo, I was awarded the grant together with other creatives… We decided to explore South African dance music culture, which is a space for young people,” the singer said.
Read now: Amapiano takes over London's Southwark Park, a sign of the genre's growth